The defense establishment is considering a major operation to take control of another refugee camp in the West Bank, but the move remains dependent on the IDF presenting detailed operational plans for political approval.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said last Tuesday that, following consultations with senior officers from the IDF Central Command and General Staff, he had instructed the military to expand offensive operations against Palestinian terrorism and prepare to seize another refugee camp.
The model under consideration is the one already implemented in the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps. Those areas were sealed off, residents were evacuated, terrorist infrastructure was dismantled and IDF forces established a continuing presence inside them.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the situation during a Cabinet meeting two days earlier. He said security forces had been instructed to enter Palestinian villages, conduct searches, seize weapons and carry out arrests. He also referred to an operation inside a Nablus hospital where suspected accomplices had been hiding, and said Israel was prepared to act more broadly against terrorist strongholds.
For now, however, plans to seize an additional camp do not appear close to implementation.
The approach adopted in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams under Katz has proved operationally effective, according to the defense establishment, significantly reducing terrorism in the West Bank to levels not seen in at least a decade.
The IDF and Central Command first submitted plans to the chief of staff early this year for possible operations in additional camps, including Qalandiya, Jalazone and Balata in Nablus. Of the three, Balata is considered the most likely target should the military launch another large-scale operation.
Several factors make Balata the leading option. The IDF and its Samaria Regional Brigade have established broad operational control in Nablus and maintained extensive freedom of action there. Raids that once required a full battalion can now be conducted by a single company.
Balata is also located at the center of recent security activity and near the site of the attack in which Benayahu Mellet and Maj. Yuval Ezra were killed.
Benayahu Mellet and Maj. Yuval Ezra
(Photo: TPS, IDF)
Operational plans and combat methods for taking control of the camp are already prepared, but carrying them out would require considerable troop strength, resources and command attention.
The challenge would not end with entering and taking control of the camp. The IDF would then have to maintain forces there on the following day and for an extended period, adding another permanent burden to an already stretched military.
That consideration is particularly significant because the West Bank remains a secondary arena in the IDF’s overall order of priorities. Fighting in the Gaza Strip is intensifying, two divisions are operating in the buffer zone in southern Lebanon and renewed conflict with Iran remains possible.
Katz’s declaration therefore serves two purposes even if no operation is immediately launched.
For Palestinians, it is intended as a deterrent. Residents and armed groups in camps across the West Bank can see what happened in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams and understand that a permanent IDF presence could be established in the heart of their communities.
For Israeli settlers, the statement signals a tougher response to terrorism following the recent deadly attack and addresses demands for more aggressive military action.
At this stage, however, the proposed takeover remains a contingency plan. The coming days will determine whether it advances beyond military preparations and is translated into action on the ground.